PESHAWAR: Pakistani security forces claim to have killed 10 militants repulsing a terrorist attack on a security check post in South Waziristan tribal agency of Pakistan, military officials said on Wednesday.

According to an ISPR press release, security forces troops responded valiantly when terrorists attacked the Green Ridge Post at around 8pm. Three security forces personnel were also killed during the exchange of fire.

The number and identity of those killed could not be verified independently.

This a rare terrorist attack on Pakistani security forces in South Waziristan as armed clashes are normally reported in North Waziristan.

South Waziristan and North Waziristan are two of seven semi-autonomous regions in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) governed by tribal laws.

No one has claimed the attack as yet, however, an extremist insurgency led by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) plagues the region, which is close to the porous Pak-Afghan border, while the area is known to be infested with militants, including the al Qaeda and several other armed extremist organisations.

Reliable casualty figures are difficult to acquire in the tribal areas, which are largely off-limits to reporters, because of security worries and government restrictions.

The TTP militants have killed thousands of soldiers, police and civilians over the past few years, declaring war on the government to get it to break ties with the United States and establish Islamic law throughout the country.